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Show the salt lake times Autumn Increases Night Driving Hazards, Says Utah Safety Council Girl Scout basis, night than twice as more driving is and dangerous as daytime driving, C. PresiLinn to Baker, according Council, the Utah Safety dent, will increase hazard night driving this fall as the hours of darkness extend into the early evening and late afternoon commuter rush Washington, On a mile-for-mi- Page Five FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1975 le being seen, he said, is almost as important an ingredient of safe night driving as seeing clearly. Baker said headlights should be dimmed about 1,000 feet before meeting or overtaking another vehicle, and he advised drivers to avoid looking directly into the headlights of an oncoming car. Instead, he said, drivers should focus their eyes on the right edge of the road to maintain a steady lane position. Latest County, Community Delegates Off to Economic Profiles Ready D.C. -- Mrs. Howard Bales, President of the Utah Girl Scout Council; Mrs. Jack Swartz, Executive Director; Mrs. R. A. McBroom, Public Relations Director; Mrs. Dominic Field Advisor for Districts VII and VIII; Mrs. Dean Murdock, Delegate from Price, Utah; Mrs. hours. Wayne Rider, Field Vice President; Baker cited National Safety Miss Robin Henningson, Moab; and Council statistics showing that the two Senior Girl Scouts, Miss Lynn rate in the night mileage death Nishijima, and Miss Barbara U.S. is 7.4 fatalities per 100. million The human eye adjusts more Rhodes left last week for Washingvehicle miles traveled, while the quickly to bright light than to ton, D.C. to attend the 1975 fatalidaytime mileage rate is 2.9 darkness," he said, and after National Convention of the Girl ties per 100 million vehicle miles. looking into an oncoming cars Scouts of the U.S.A. to be held in On weekdays, he said, the number headlights, Washington, D.C., Oct. of fatal accidents greatly increases between the hours of 4:00 and 8:00 Oli-vet- 26-2- p.m. Traffic congestion, hast and fatigue all contribute to the increased fatality toll during the evening commuting hours, he explained, but the earlier hours of darkness during the fall and winter months add an especially deadly component to the mix of rush hour hazards. "Darkness," Baker said, reduces the clarity of the visual cues essential for safe driving. Judging distance and speed becomes more difficult, and a drivers peripheral so vision is reduced," he added, that pedestrians and bicyclists the roadside can seem to appear out of nowhere. The first rule of safe night driving, according to Baker, is to a-lo- stay alert. Motorists often overestimate their night vision when they are driving in familiar areas, Baker said, "because they easily can pick out objects that they are expecting along the roadway ahead. However, it takes much more time to recognize unezpected hazards at slow dowrn and night," he added, and that longer recognition time means that a driver must keep his speed down order to spot dangerous traffic situations before he drives into them. Night driving speeds, according to Baker, can vary depending on visibility conditions, but a driver should never travel so fast that he cannot stop within the distance illuminated by his headlights. Under clear weather conditions and on a straight stretch of road, most and his eyes moving in headlights will illuminate the pavement ahead for a distance of about 250 feet, Baker said. By comparison, he said, most automobiles can come to complete stop within 226 feet on dry pavement from a speed of 55 miles per hour. However, headlight glare from low-bea- an m approaching car can reduce visibility to as little as TOO feet, Baker said, and rain, haze or road conditions such as curves and hills can reduce vision even further while stopping distance remains the same or increases. Keeping headlights and other vehicle lighting systems property maintained will minimize their efficiency, Baker said, and he added that lights should be cleaned at every fuel stop along with the vehicle's windows. He advised cleaning lenses more frequently in wet weather when road spatter drying on the glass or plastic can cut illumination in half. Baker also smd that a check of headlight alignment should be part of every motorists periodic vehicle maintenance checklist. According to Baker, headlights not parking lights should be turned on just before dusk. "Dur-m- g the twilight hours, headlights may not make it much easier for a driver to see, he explained, but they will make it easier for other road users to see him. Readily 9. o, The most recent information on County officials and industrial deUtah's 29 counties and 93 of the velopment agencies are also listed. States incorporated cities is now Community Economic Facts lists local geography and weather inforavailable through the Utah Industrial Development Information Sys- mation, population, government tem. County and Community Eco- services, taxation, utilities, public nomic Facts - 1975 provides perti- health facilities, churches, and misnent information prequired for cellaneous facilities such as auditorplanning, grant application and iums and travel accommodations. Plans and sites for buildings are economic development. includes Economic Facts included. County land area and ownership, The economic fact sheets are data on labor market, population, govern- prepared for the Utah Industrial ment services, property taxes, rec- Promotion Division by the Univerreation, education, commercial ser- sity of Utah Bureau of Business and vices and communications, trans- Economic Research, copies are portation, employment, natural re- available free of charge from the sources and economic indicators. Division. |